Day 3-4: Arrival!

Day 03:

We made it to Delhi and got through customs. We'd missed our driver the night before that was supposed to take us to the hotel that we also missed. We'd missed out flight to Kochi and were in the market for another. Now that we were in the country officially we could get flights domestically. India Air is the best airline hands down. Real plates. 4-star meals. Friendly people. Lots of them, everywhere, looking to make your life pleasant. I which they would open a branch in Chicago.

Although we were sad to have to return to Mombai, the domestic terminal was completely different then the international. Everyone says that the first thing you notice about India is the smell. They are so right. But it wasn't quite the way we'd all heard it. We actually smelled Mombai in the air when the plane depressurized 15 minutes before landing. Mombai smells like a house fire. A house full of trash, tires, and maybe a rancid cow - all burning. Everywhere is burning trash, smoke, and smog. It is a volatile mixture that threatens to make you choke at every breath.

The traffic was truly harrowing. We were scared. How were we going to negotiate these roads? We took comfort in the fact that our travels would be bringing us back to Mombai.

We had to spend the night as there was no flights to Kochi. It was sad that our 4th day was going to begin and we weren't even 'there' yet. On top of it we were going to miss the kick off party the night before the race. So be it.

Anthony //